This will be the third ranked opponent the Beavers have faced thus far during the 2013-14 season, after battling Michigan and Boise State earlier this year. The Beavers are 3-6-1 all-time against the Golden Gophers, dating back to 1973.

Oregon State currently has four wrestlers ranked in the top-20 across various polls. Junior Taylor Meeks continues to sit atop the 197 lb. weight class with a perfect 10-0 record. Saturday will be a rematch between No. 1 Meeks and Minnesota’s No. 2 Scott Schiller.

Meeks and Schiller competed against one another at the All-Star Classic in early November, and it was Meeks who collected a 6-4 victory. The two have been the No.1 and No. 2 ranked wrestlers at 197 unanimously across all polls since preseason.

Another familiar matchup will likely be at 157 between Oregon State’s RJ Pena and Minnesota’s Danny Zilverberg. Pena has been ranked in the top-10 since preseason and currently sits at No. 5/6, while Zilverberg is ranked No. 12/17. These two have also competed against one another before; the last time was in 2012 and Pena collected a 15-6 victory.

At 149, OSU’s Scott Sakaguchi still sits in the top-10, ranking No.7/8 this week by InterMat and The Open Mat, respectively. Freshman HWT Amarveer Dhesi is ranked for the second straight week at No. 19/20.

Dhesi will likely face Minnesota’s Tony Nelson, who is currently ranked No. 1 at HWT by both InterMat and The Open Mat. The Golden Gophers have a total nine ranked wrestlers heading into the weekend, six of which are in the top five in their respective weight classes.

Coming off a tough loss last weekend against Boise State, the Beavers are looking to bounce back and regain their footing, while Minnesota is riding on two straight wins against Purdue and Wyoming. With clear talent on both sides, Saturday should prove interesting and exciting to watch.

The match is set to start at 7 p.m. PT in Gill Coliseum. Tickets are on sale at www.osubeavers.com and are $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and children. Oregon State is hosting a “Black Friday” deal beginning Friday at 6 am and ending Saturday at 11:59 pm, featuring half-priced tickets for men’s and women’s basketball, wrestling, and gymnastics.